Like in other ancient worlds, knights had been the core of the Arathorian Empire's military and later, the Seven Kingdoms, for over a thousand years. They were undoubtedly powerful.
But at the end of the day, knights were just "warriors on horseback."
Back in Azeroth's more primitive days, heavily armored knights might have been unstoppable. However, as magic and other supernatural forces rose, traditional knights gradually became less dominant.
The decline of the Arathorian Empire and the rise of the Seven Kingdoms were clear evidence of this. Who was the strongest kingdom in the early days?
Not Stormwind.
Stormwind's true rise began when Aegwynn betrayed the Council of Tirisfal and left Medivh behind. Medivh then joined Stormwind, moving from Guardian of Tirisfal to Guardian of Stormwind.
Of course, Stormwind's fate was also tied to Medivh. When he fell under Sargeras' control, the kingdom was destroyed.
Before Stormwind's golden age, the most powerful of the Seven Kingdoms were Lordaeron and Dalaran.
Why?
Because Lordaeron had the Church of the Holy Light, and Dalaran was ruled by mages.
In its early days, Lordaeron didn't have paladins, but it did have priests who wielded the light. Their healing abilities kept their armies strong and their casualties low, making them an ever-growing force.
As the Church of the Holy Light rose to prominence, Lordaeron became the dominant kingdom. Later, with the founding of the Paladin Order by Alonsus Faol, Lordaeron reached its zenith.
As for Dalaran, there was no need to elaborate. Each era had its strongest faction, but the mages were always Blizzard's favorite.
By comparison, the true successor to the Arathorian Empire, Stromgarde (A/N: Arathi Highlands), wasn't the weakest of the Seven Kingdoms. It still had the largest standing army, but due to the lack of high-tier power, its overall strength was only mid-tier.
Stromgarde ranked above Alterac, Gilneas, and Stormwind, placing fourth among the Seven Kingdoms—trailing even Kul Tiras.
Despite its military shortcomings, Kul Tiras enjoyed near-total dominance over human sea trade. Its economic strength far exceeded what other kingdoms could imagine. In sheer financial power, Kul Tiras was arguably number one.
Like Stromgarde, however, Kul Tiras lacked supernatural powers, which prevented it from surpassing Lordaeron and Dalaran.
This was one reason why King Daelin Proudmoore sent his daughter to study magic in Dalaran—not just because Jaina had an extraordinary talent for magic, but because Kul Tiras needed magical expertise.
Of course, Daelin never imagined that his careful grooming would ultimately raise a daughter who betrayed him.
Josh didn't mean to look down on warriors—after all, Azeroth had many powerful warrior heroes.
Ancient human emperor Thoradin, the Alliance's first commander Anduin Lothar, Stormwind's kings Llane and Varian Wrynn, the orc warlords Saurfang and Grommash Hellscream—all were legendary warriors.
Especially Broxigar Saurfang, who even wounded Sargeras himself!
But it was also undeniable that in Azeroth, the path of a warrior was much harder than other professions. Their growth potential was more limited, and top-tier warriors were far rarer than their counterparts in other "mainstream" professions.
What were "mainstream" professions?
Paladins, warriors, mages, priests, and rangers—clear-cut, well-established roles recognized by the masses.
For orcs and night elves, shamans and druids also fit this category.
In contrast, professions like demon hunters, death knights, warlocks, and rogues—though powerful—had forces and methods that made them difficult to accept. Even when they fought for justice, they were often seen as lone wolves, never fully recognized by the wider world. At best, they became legendary outliers, forever standing in the shadows of the mainstream professions.
Because of the inherent limitations of the warrior profession, Josh didn't want young Abbendis to waste too much time on such a difficult path.
Wouldn't it be much better to become a powerful mage like Jaina?
Of course, becoming a priest or a paladin like the future Anduin Wrynn wasn't a bad option either. Thanks to the existence of the Dimensional Trading System, Josh didn't have to worry about the usual conflicts between royal authority and religious power—such concerns wouldn't affect young Abbendis.
But there was one problem. From Josh's subtle questioning, he had already learned that Abbendis's father did not follow the Church of the Holy Light. He was a staunch royalist and wasn't particularly close to the Church.
This meant that Abbendis couldn't suddenly express an interest in learning the ways of the Holy Light without arousing suspicion.
By comparison, magic was a far less restricted field.
However…
"It's not that I don't want to learn magic, but I asked my father about it a few days ago and found out that I was tested by the royal court mages at birth. My magical affinity is extremely low—I can't even qualify as a magic apprentice!" Abbendis grimaced. "I even went to ask the family's mages, and they all said the same thing."
As a noble family with considerable influence, the Abbendis household employed several mid- to low-level mages as retainers, so there was no shortage of mages in their territory.
Josh was surprised to hear that. So magic in Azeroth wasn't something anyone could learn?
On second thought, it made sense. Even in the highly magical kingdom of the High Elves, not everyone could become a mage. It would be even more restrictive among humans.
What a pity. Josh sighed lightly—he had really been hoping for a mage trade partner.
"By the way, did you come to find me? Do you have some new tasty food? Or is there a new game?" Abbendis asked, his big eyes filled with expectation.
"Uh... no, I just..." Looking at Abbendis' eager face, Josh hesitated, then briefly explained his current predicament. He wasn't expecting Abbendis to offer any useful advice.
"That's easy—just use a freezing trap or frost trap!" Abbendis blurted out without hesitation.
"A hunter's freezing trap or frost trap?" Josh's eyes widened in shock.
"Hunter? How could a hunter afford such expensive magical tools? Even my father only used them when hunting fierce beasts and trolls. These are alchemical creations made by mages." Abbendis looked at Josh confused.
Obviously, the two of them were talking about completely different things.
Josh was referring to the hunter class from the game, while Abbendis was thinking of hunters as ordinary woodsmen and trappers living in the wilderness.
In the real Azeroth, there wasn't actually a "hunter" profession. Instead, there were night elf archers, high elf rangers, and dwarven riflemen.
When you think about it, it makes sense. Hunters were a popular class in the game, with a huge player base.
But in a realistic setting, the profession didn't make much sense. Powerful, reliable animal companions weren't easy to tame.
Even the nature-loving night elves struggled to domesticate strong wild creatures at will.
And the dwarves, who loved forging and machinery, were even more unlikely.
Even the so-called "legendary hunter" Rexxar wasn't actually a hunter—he was just a warrior with a beast companion!
But none of that mattered to Josh now. What mattered was that he had found a way to deal with the Speedster.
A rare magical tool—it sounded incredibly useful
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